When the digital clock on the desk struck 11:11, my college roommate would jump up and exclaim “party minute!” and we’d all dance around the room for 60 seconds. So of course I was thinking about her as I went to check out ELEVEN11, the new East Nashville restaurant and bar.
ELEVEN11 comes to Dickerson Pike courtesy of Alexis Soler (of Old Glory and The Sun Room) and Michelle Pham. I’m a longtime fan of Soler’s work, so it did seem like a party in the making as I headed over. Pham confirms that they chose the name because of the magical nature of that hour on the clock, and the fact that the promise of anything happening at 11:11 is understood around the world. “Anyone around the world can look at a clock and see that it is special,” Pham says.
Alexis Soler’s new venture sets up shop in the building once home to The Stadium Inn
ELEVEN11 opened in the old Piggly Wiggly location between Fancypants and Junior. Their new spot is both a bar (on the left) and a restaurant (on the right). The restaurant has just 11 seats, at high tops and a bar counter. The bar had a soft opening last month, and slowly opened the restaurant this month. The small menu is packed with flavorful, Vietnamese-inspired dishes, including tomato rice — a savory fried comfort food that seems more like a hash brown than rice. Other standouts include the hand-cut garlic noodles and grilled whole fish or ribeye. The ginger tofu ice cream is served on a cold rock that keeps its low temperature while you are eating, no risk of melting. With so few seats and such a stellar menu, reservations are highly recommended.Â
Parties of four or more may also make reservations for one of the cozy booths in the bar. The bar is a separate room, and in many ways, feels worlds away from the tiny dining room. This space is pure cocktail lounge; with the kind of inventive cocktail list we’ve come to expect from Soler. She and Pham have developed an extensive cocktail menu, including zero-proof drinks, beer, sake, mixed cocktails and wines, including sparkling and orange wines. Soler and Pham let the space dictate the layout and vibe. The bar side offers opportunities for intimate conversations in booths, chatting with new friends at the bar, and an open floor for dancing long past party minute.
ELEVEN11 is located at 913 Dickerson Pike and is open Wednesday through Sunday.
